


January Prompt Fic: Welcome

by methylviolet10b



Series: 2021 Monthly Prompt Responses [1]
Category: Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms, Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle
Genre: And then I added a second chapter just because, Fluff, M/M, Prompt Fic, Triple Drabble
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-16 04:47:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29076579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/methylviolet10b/pseuds/methylviolet10b
Summary: Holmes' latest case took us deep into Cumberland. Written for the January 2021 prompt over on Watson's Woes.
Series: 2021 Monthly Prompt Responses [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2133285
Comments: 14
Kudos: 18





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **Warnings** : More of a fluffy amuse-bouche intro to a case than anything else. And I couldn't resist. Written in a complete rush. You have been warned.
> 
>  **Prompt** : Welcome

Holmes’ latest case took us deep into Cumberland. The journey was long, involving multiple trains, and the weather was uniformly miserable. The last train clanked along at a snail’s pace, stopping frequently. Progress was difficult to measure, as the driving rain masked the landscape almost completely. The train car was extremely drafty, and Holmes and I remained huddled in our coats, rarely speaking. In Holmes’ case, it might have been because he was too busy pondering what facts we had. I was simply too chilled and uncomfortable to attempt conversation.

At last our train reached our station. Evening was well advanced, and while the rain had stopped, a thick white fog had moved in. I saw little as I followed Holmes from the station to our hotel. I wasn’t expecting much in the way of comfort, but to my surprise the lobby suggested a refined establishment. Our room featured a coal fireplace with a generous fire and two large beds warmed with heated stones and piled with soft blankets. A servant removed the former while two others brought in a wheeled cart that served as both transport and dining table for the simple but excellent hot meal. We ate it sitting in front of the fireplace and then retired for the evening. Exhausted, and finally starting to feel warm again, I fell asleep almost immediately.

I woke refreshed into what seemed like another world. Sun streamed through the windows when I pulled back the curtains. Beyond the glass, a green hill descended towards the sparkling blue sea.

“Good morning, my dear fellow. It is a much more welcoming prospect today,” Holmes remarked from where he sat in an armchair, enjoying his morning pipe. “If the case is half as enticing as the scenery, St. Bees should prove very satisfactory indeed.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a bit more of this for Valentine's Day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warnings** : No plot here, just fluff.

Generally speaking, Holmes does not like to linger after the conclusion of a case. He prefers to return to Baker Street as soon as reasonably convenient. This is particularly true when a case takes us away from London. Holmes is rarely entirely comfortable away from his city. So when the local police requested that Holmes remain for at least a week to answer questions and act as a consultant, I expected him to refuse outright, or at least counter-argue for a few days at most. Instead he acquiesced with seemingly complete good-will. “I would be delighted to do so. St. Bees seems a remarkably charming place, and we have had very little time or attention to exploring it.”

“Thank you, Mr Holmes; I can’t adequately express how much of a relief it will be to have your expertise ready to hand.” Commbes, the local head of the police, looked as relieved as a man of his age and station could do. “We will of course help defray your expenses at the hotel for as long as you remain to assist us.”

“That will not be necessary.” Mr Hennesey, our client, spoke up firmly. “I will pay their bill for as long as they are needed. I owe them and your fine officers far more than just the money needed for an extra few days stay in a hotel. If not for your combined efforts, I might well be dead, or under grave suspicion.” An astute statement both for its accuracy and its political deftness, it clearly gratified both the policemen present. Holmes was more difficult to read, but he certainly could not be displeased by the recognition or the offer. 

“It seems our client has learned a few lessons from this experience. He already had the connections with the local nobility, but now he seems to truly recognize the efforts of all those who help in a matter. If Hennesey chooses to follow his political ambitions, I believe he will go far,” Holmes said as we walked together back to our hotel. The streets were practically empty, but we kept our voices low out of long habit.

“And to think I once rated your knowledge of politics as nil,” I teased.

Holmes smiled. “Insofar as being able to name the current prime minister and his cabinet, you were not wrong. But that does not mean I cannot recognize political skill when I see it, any more than I might fail to notice a particularly scenic bit of coastal beauty when I am in it.” His eyes twinkled and then warmed. “Or overlook the opportunity to spend time with my dearest friend and companion in a place designed for relaxation and healthy activities.”

I felt my eyes widen, and struggled not to blush. My friend was more affectionate, more expressive, than I portrayed in my semi-fictious accounts in the Strand and other magazines, but still, such a straightforward declaration was a rare treasure. “I wondered at your willingness to stay.”

“Anyplace that has such a charmingly apropos name as St. Bees is worth investigating,” Holmes said agreeably. “You know my interest in apiology, and it would be amusing indeed if we found this a congenial place to retire to. Studying bees in St. Bees…” His amused smile faded as he studied me. “I do mean _we_ , my dear man. Assuming you have not changed your mind about retiring together. And _we_ would never choose a place that did not appeal to both of us.”

“I have not changed my mind,” I said fiercely, not at Holmes, but at the doubt I knew occasionally haunted him. It was a legacy of the guilt he felt over his Reichenbach deception. “I will never change my mind. I will remain at your side as long as we both shall live. Even if you choose to live at the ends of the earth.”

“St. Bees is rather far from London,” Holmes agreed. It was his turn to try to avoid a blush. He has always been better at concealing his emotions than I have, but I knew him well enough to know he was moved. “Or from anywhere else. But that might not be entirely a drawback.”

“There’s plenty of scenic wilderness and open farmland to lose ourselves in, should we so choose. We’ll find a place, here or elsewhere. And we’ll retire when we’re both ready to leave London and cases behind. In the meantime, there’s no harm in looking about wherever cases take us. Including here in St. Bees.”

Holmes took my hand and squeezed it. “Yes.” He was silent for a moment, undoubtedly thinking many things. I took the moment to marshal my emotions into better order – and to enjoy continuing to hold Holmes’ hand. We usually walked arm-in-arm.

“I wonder,” Holmes said at last. “With a name like St. Bees, there simply must be at least one apiary somewhere in town.” He grinned, all traces of emotion hidden in mischief. “We shall have to investigate.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted February 14, 2021.

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted January 29, 2021. And yes, there really is a St. Bees. I refuse to believe Holmes failed to go there for some reason or another.


End file.
